2009 Tishbi Malbec and Rib Eye steak

When I was in Israel I had the Tishbi Malbec some three times, twice at the Ashdod Wine Tasting and once at the Tishbi winery itself (not yet blogged). The wine at the Ashdod tasting must have been a few days old or more than day, as it was highly oxidized, but richer and more layered with deep roasted animal notes and ripe black fruit. However, the other bottles have been a real joy to drink.

For dinner this Shabbos we had our steak dinner and crunchy roasted potatoes, which were perfect again. If you use the recipe, the meat will not be blue and red. Instead, the meat comes out medium rare, but that is more than fine for me. The potatoes were also quite enjoyable.

The wine turned out to be really nice again and a wine that I am happy is available here in the US and one that I really enjoyed. The wine note is below:

2009 Tishbi Malbec, Tishbi Estate, Single Vineyard – Score: B++ to A-
The wine does not show as well as by the winery, the blue notes linger for a bit and then fade away to a cacophony of dead animal notes, deep earth, and black fruit. The wine mellows over time to rich tobacco and violet, with smoke, eucalyptus, and date. The mouth is medium to full bodied, rich and layered with concentrated and tangy fruit, ripe sweet strawberry, rich black plum, blackberry, more crazy sweet tobacco, sweet cedar, candied black cherry, all controlled with little to no date, but still sweet – very Californian in style. The finish is long and sweet with butterscotch, zesty raspberry, hints of tar and loamy earth.

Favorite Wine Sites

The late Daniel Rogov's forumThe best place to find out about wine from Israel and around the world. We post on there often and so do many others.

Liquid KosherLiquid Kosher sells wine that is a cut above the rest, wines made for long term storage, special occasions, or rare/special format bottles.

Kosher WineKosherWine.com is one of the largest online stores for kosher wine. It has great deals and a TON of kosher wine.

Skyview WineSkyview wine is a great place to buy those medium to high priced, hard to find, kosher wines and spirits.

Gotham WinesIf you cannot find the wine at KosherWine or Skyview then it is probably at Gotham wines.

Taste Wine Company
Taste Wine Company is a store in Manhattan that is run by a friend - Gary Landsman. The shop does not sell much kosher wine, but around Passover and Rosh Hashanah he is sending out kosher wine emails that have great deals on many nice kosher wines. The store’s email address is: info@tastewineco.com or call Gary: (212) 461-1708 and/or check out some of the kosher wine options here!

Four Gates WinerySmall winery growing and cultivating certified organic grapes in California's Santa Cruz Mountains. The wines are kosher for Passover and not Mevushal. The website includes a description and list of current releases. Disclaimer - Benyamin (the owner of the winery) is a friend.